DATING THE BOSS
by CindeBella - Edward's Manda
Summary: Bella is always chasing different boys, using fake names. What will happen when she meets someone who is determined to fight for her? And help her change her bad habits? Read to find out :D
1. First Sight

**A/N:** Hello everybody. Me (CindeBella) and Edward's Manda decided to write a story together, so we started talking about possible plots and this is what we came up with. We hope you enjoy it : )

**Special thanks:** To clairxdexlune. She's beta reading for us and she's AWESOME!

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**1: FIRST SIGHT**

**Isabella Swan**

"Do you want another… _come dite_… drink?" Paolo, my hot Italian  
model asked.

"No, I'm fine," I purred while playing with a piece of his gorgeous black hair.

"Ay, Bella, so _bella_. So beautiful." He murmured in my hair.

I saw my best friend, Rosalie Hale, wave me over. _'Bathroom'_ she mouthed. I nodded. "I gotta go freshen up, Paolo," I whispered seductively in his ear.

"_Buon_. Good," he said, squeezing my thigh before I got up. I walked slowly up to the bathroom. Rose would surely want to know all the details about this new guy.

"Bella, you lucked out HUGE!" she said as soon as I pushed through the swinging doors. "He is very hot! I wish I could say the same about my date, Mr. Eric Yorkie, the biggest pencil pusher to ever become a part of the banking system of Seattle."

She grinned when I started to giggle.

"Paolo certainly is a tasty treat, isn't he?" I continued when she nodded. "But there is nothing under that pretty hair. One minute we're talking in English, and the next he's speed-talking in Italian. The switch back and forth is giving me one massive headache… though the accent is adorable."

"Well, anyway, I think we should bounce. Jasper will be waiting." Jasper was Rosalie's twin. He'd wanted to come, but had been feeling under the weather. I nodded my assent. I took one glance at the mirror, and sighed.

My plain brown hair was hanging limply around my shoulders. Hadn't a guy once said it was beautiful? Maybe. My normal brown eyes looked flat and dull. Didn't somebody say they were like a deer's? Yeah, a deer in the headlights of an 18-wheeler.

What did Rosalie see in me? I was plain, when she was… not. Calling Rosalie plain would be a telltale sign to check you in a mental hospital. Tall, blonde, and statuesque, Rosalie had a body that suited the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Her brother was the male equivalent, Apollo. A brooding movie star. Yet, we were best friends and we all shared an apartment in downtown Seattle.

After giving Paolo the slip, I waited for Rose; she had to make an excuse for Eric. The poor guy looked heart broken.

"Poor, Eric, he looked crushed." I grinned. Rosalie was beautiful, but the smart dorky guys hit on her. Of course, the stupid gorgeous men hit on her too. Everyone did.

"The silly boy actually thought he had a chance." She shook her head.

Rosalie and I were always with a lot of boys. But don't take me wrong… We just liked to play with them. It's kind of a game; we make them fall for us and then dump them. Sometimes, when the guy is really hot we kiss, but that's all. We never get too far with any of them. In fact, we never even give our real names. Today was an exception, because I wasn't creative enough to come up with a cool pseudonym.

"Okay, it's early and I think we still have time to hit the C-Club. What do you think guys?" I asked cheerfully. I really wanted to party since I had gotten a great new job. I mean, being a secretary is never that fun, but they pay a lot and my new employer was the best law firm in the whole state. See? I did have a reason to celebrate.

"Bella, you're one of a kind, you know! But YES, count me in. What about you, dear brother?" Rosalie teased, since Jasper wasn't one for parties and all that.

"I think I'll pass. You girls take a taxi home because I don't want to play driver all night. Next time you drive your own car. Are we clear, Rosalie?" Rose and I just laughed at him. Sometimes Jasper acted like an old man. He was in serious need of a girl full of energy to cheer him up.

THE NEXT DAY...

"Why don't you try these on, Bella? They'll look great on you!" insisted Rosalie, handing me a low-cut top listlessly. She was somewhat depressed that morning; it seemed that she had met a cute, muscled, nice guy yesterday, but had said that her name was Anne and given him a fake phone number for some reason.

"No, Rose." I informed her for the hundredth time. "It won't look proper for my first day at work. I do want something that'll make me look attractive, but this top is definitely too much! I want to look beautiful and sophisticated, not like a tramp."

"Okay, okay. If you say so! Do as you wish." She finally gave up. "I've gotta go now. I bet Jasper is already there by now. Good luck with the Cullen's." She winked at me before she closed the door. I knew perfectly well what she meant by this; she would want to know all the details about the men in the company, especially the Cullen's.

I put my heels on as I watched Rosalie through the window. She was getting into her shiny, red convertible now.

I never understood how two people as different as us could have become best friends so quickly. It seemed like yesterday that Jasper and Rosalie Hale had come to live in the house next to mine. I still remembered when we first talked to each other… when we realized we were going to the same high school, then the same college… when we started to live together in Seattle. Yes, I had no reason to complain. My friends were truly the best ever.

Soon, I was at work, at the Cullen Law Firm. I was going to be the secretary for the Cullen siblings: Emmett, Alice and Edward. I'd heard a lot about the last one, Edward. It seemed that all the female population in the company was in love with him, though he never responded to their interest.

His kind was exactly what Rose and I preferred. We 'enjoyed' making tough guys fall in love with us. Like I said before… a game. Jasper kept saying that our problem was that we were afraid to commit, that someday we were going to find really cool guys and we wouldn't know how to act towards them. "No way" had been my answer to him.

I was walking to deliver some files to one of the clerks. I turned the corner and saw the most beautiful man my eyes had ever been blessed to see. He had bronze hair, skin as pale as my own albino skin, and clear, bright emerald eyes.

His eyes were… spectacular. There was no other word for it. They had a way of drawing secrets from deep down in your soul. They cut through me, reading me, leaving no rock unturned in me. The saying "eyes are the windows to the soul" held no weight here. His eyes were innocent, but you could tell they held secrets. These windows had heavy, thick curtains, obscuring his soul.

So while I was being dazzled by brilliant eyes, I didn't see where I was going. I walked right into the clear glass walls of one of the many conference rooms – and it hurt like a son of a gun. Why was the conference room walled in clear glass? What idiot created that?

"Ow!" I cried. I found myself crumpled on the floor.

"Let me help you." I felt strong hands grab my arms. When I turned to look at my savior, stars flashed in front of my eyes. Once they cleared, I saw the green eyes again. My hero was also my downfall. _Go figure_, I thought.

"Thank you," I stuttered. Once I got up, I was about to take a step, but fell back into his arms immediately. Was there a need for him to hold me so tight?

"Are you sure you can walk? You look kind of unsteady," he murmured.

"I'm fine. I fall, walk into things, and knock over stuff all the time. I'm a natural klutz. My friends always talk about how I'm able to walk across a flat, stable surface with no objects in my way and find myself tripping somehow…" I was babbling.

My head was telling my mouth to shut up, but it continued independently. I couldn't stop."...and I'm also pretty slow. That comes from years of shuffling to prevent myself from falling on my face. My dad calls me his turtle." I forced my mouth to stop, and bit my tongue for good measure.

The green-eyed man just looked at me like I was retarded, but I kept talking. "So who's the genius with the bright idea of clear walls? I mean, they are a hazard to society," I said, trying to hide my embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks turning unimaginable shades of red.

"I believe I would be that genius. Edward Cullen," he said as he put out his hand. My Gosh! I just babbled senselessly in front of my boss! And not only did I babble, I insulted him as well. I couldn't believe it! I had lasted less than 3 hours at the job without screwing up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Did I say glass walls were stupid? I meant they were unstupid. Is that a word? Anyways…" I was babbling again.

"Its okay, my brother walks into the walls at least once a week. His little show is actually kind of funny. We'll start over. Hello, my name is Edward Cullen. May I have the privilege of knowing yours?" Dear Lord, he was such a gentleman.

"I'm Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella. Isabella is kind of formal."

"Bella." He smiled. "It suits you." I couldn't help but smile too.

"Edward, we need you!" somebody shouted.

"Well then, I have to go. Nice to meet you, Bella."

"Bye, Mr. Cullen." I grinned as he walked away.

"Please, not Mr. Cullen. That's also much too formal. Edward, call me Edward," he shouted from across the office.

I hadn't realized that all the people in the vicinity were staring… and now they were gawking. I continued the rest of the day without any more accidents, but wherever I went, whispers followed. I guessed my incident with Edward had gotten around to the whole firm.

It was lunch time when Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory came to sit with me.

"Edward Cullen, THE Edward Cullen, was holding on to you! He never so much as looks at a girl in this place." Jessica pouted, unconsciously tugging at her already low blouse.

"He helped me up when I fell. No biggie," I said, for like the tenth time.

Lauren sneered. A few other girls had told me that she was a malicious and conniving person, and I couldn't wait to put her in her place. I left both gossiping girls and moved to sit with Angela Weber.

She was so nice and quiet, and hadn't asked even once about the whole Edward incident. But while sitting with her, I couldn't help but let my mind travel back to  
those beautiful and perfect green eyes...

**A/N:** Please, review and let us know what you think about this fic. Xoxo : )


	2. Some Extra Work

**Hello everyone! This is Edward's Manda here, giving you the second chapter to the masterpiece that is mine and CindeBella's.**

**Enjoy!! **

**2: SOME EXTRA WORK**

**Isabella Swan**

"Come on, Bella. Today is Wednesday morning and we still didn't have time to talk...Tell me everything!" Rose demanded excitedly.

I decided to play dumb. "What are you talking about? Tell you everything about what? Rosalie is you sleeping the required 8 hours?"

"No way you're playing stupid blonde with me, Isabella Swan...that's my job." Yeah, I should've known better than to do it with someone that knows me better than my own mother.

"Okay," I sighed. "I was dying to tell you anyway. Oh my gosh, Rose...Edward Cullen has the body of a Greek God. The mind of a Roman scholar. The heart, brain and soul of an English gentleman. I've been even dreaming about him these past two nights. And days. I can't get him off my mind. Everything we heard is true, he's handsome, strong and a perfect gentleman. The only problem is that I didn't get to see him yesterday because his brother, Emmett kept me busy all the time with folders, calls and a lot of other stuff. The man works me like a dog. But I like it."

"Mm and what about this Emmett? Is he as gorgeous as Edward?"

"Very tasty. The man is HUGE! At least 6 feet 5 inches, with massive muscles that could life you like you were a feather. Bright blue eyes. Curling brown hair and he's a total goof ball. The man is all fun and games. All in all, a very awesome boss to be with." She grinned. Knowing her, she liked what she heard.

"Damn it. I'm going to be late. Jasper's setting up some new equipment. He's going to bite my head off!" She said, rushing to grab her jacket and purse.

LATER ON IN THE DAY

I had been at work for 4 hours. After Rose left, I decided I couldn't wait any longer and headed out the door. I thought I deserved a lunch break. But as soon as I got up from my desk, a strong hand wrapped around my upper arm. I swallowed a yelp. I looked up to see the green eyes I've been dreaming about.

"Mr. Cullen...I mean, Edward, you scared me." Why was it that when those eyes looked amused, my heart did summersaults? I found it hard to think a coherent thought too. "What do you need?" I asked. My overly active imagination already made up  
fantasies of romantic asking outs.

His hand let go. "Well, to be honest, I need you to get this report typed up." My heart  
sunk to my feet. "I'll need to use it in the court on Monday morning. I'd ask someone else, but two things: one, I trust you, and two Jessica scares me!" he whispered and made the most perfect crooked smile I've ever seen in my life.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." I truly do. She bent over my desk one day and she  
was dangerously close to popping out. Two deep breaths and I would've seen more of her than I needed to in a life time. "I was just about to go on my lunch break, so I'll start it at about 1 o'clock. Is that okay?" I asked, trying to slow down the crazy freaking beats of my heart.

"Sure, I'll leave the report on your desk."

"M'kay," I said. "I gotta go, I'm famished."

"Hmm," he looked like he was deliberating something. "Bella..."

"Mr. Cullen, we need you," Lauren pouted. The witch always had to appear in the wrong moments.

"Bye Bella. Till next time," he smiled.

"Good bye Edward," I said as he walked off.

AFTER LUNCH

As promised the report was on my desk. Edward didn't mention that it was 35 pages long. And had post it notes all over with messages. Dear God, I was going to get carpel tunnel with ONE report.

Before I start to type, I noticed a post it notes with my name. It read:

_Bella,_

_The stars on sticky notes coincide with the stars closest to them on the page.  
Good Luck. I'll pay for the medical bill when you realize the damage. _

_Edward._

He thought the same as I did. I WAS a goner.

So I started to type. And type. It was very confusing. I got lost so many times. But after reading the part and post it's (there was at least 1 post it for every paragraph) I got the gist of it.

It was almost 10:30 and I was so tired that my eyelids were staying close every 3rd blink. I was so out of it that I didn't hear the familiar sounds of high heels clicking.

"Hello Isabella," A short pixie like woman came and stood at my desk. She had green eyes with short (almost boyish) black hair. And she had pale skin...Alice Cullen, I thought.

"Please, Bella," I fought off a yawn. "I prefer Bella".

"Okay, Bella. I was on my room, finishing a case, when I noticed you were still here. What is keeping you working so late?"

"Edward gave me this report to type. He said he'll need it on Monday morning." I explained.

"Oh gosh, this report isn't needed until Tuesday. My idiot older brother probably entioned it was for Monday by mistake."

"Damn it. I finished it just now. Stupid Edward." I complained, then caught site of Alice's face. "Oops sorry. I didn't mean to bad mouth your brother. Not my place."

"It's okay. It's the simple truth anyway. Edward can be a pretty big idiot sometimes and you need to see Emmett when he starts with his stupid bets..." While she was babbling about her siblings, I noticed that she had a beautiful smile. Like her brothers she was pretty beyond words.

"You know, my friend Rosalie Hale and I are going to a party. Wanna come?" I asked on impulse. But I couldn't help myself; she was so easy to be with.

"A party? Tonight? Sure, I'm just about finished." See? Perfectly easy to be with.

When she was done, we headed to my apartment. On the car ride we talked about all different things you can imagine. Behind that image of serious lawyer, Alice Cullen was a very happy and full of energy girl.

As soon as I got home I was bombarded by Rosalie. "My gosh. You're finally home. Hi Bella's friend! So, why were you working until so late? Mm, I know you weren't working, you were probably 'doing some work' with your boss...Edward Cullen..."

I'm not sure if for the mention of his name, or for the fact that his _sister_ was standing right by my side, I became as red as a tomato." Rose...please...it's not what you're thinking and..."

I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen and continued babbling.

"Come on, Bella. Don't deny it. All I hear since you started working there is: 'Rose he's a gentleman, Rose he's so muscled, Rose he takes my breath away'".

At this point I didn't know what else to do. I wanted a hole to open in front of me, so I could hide my face forever. But before I start digging, Rose finally shut up because Alice burst out laughing in front of her.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked completely lost.

"I'm sorry, I just couldn't control myself...Let me introduce myself, my name is Alice...Alice _Cullen_."

"Oh no! I can't believe it! You're Edward's sister..." Now it was Rose's time to want to hide her face.

"Yeah, I am. But don't worry, Bella actually told you just nice things about him. You would never guess what kinds of horrible things I hear about my brothers...Lauren once said that she wished to be Edward's slave – and by slave I mean 'that' kind of _dirty_ slave."

Rose and I just grimaced.

After some time, the three of us were sitting at the kitchen table. We were talking and making plans about tonight's party.

"Well, I think you two should get ready here, then we can all go to my apartment **(A/N: Alice, Edward and Emmett have their own apartments. They are very successful lawyers, with wealthy parents, so they can afford it)** and I'll get  
ready. I'll shower, change and makeup my face in 20 minutes flat. I timed it once." Alice said in a dead serious voice. Rose and I laughed.  
"Seriously, my brothers and I made a bet once. I wasn't going to lose!" She said.  
I heard doors slamming. I guess Jasper was also at home. We spent all the time with only Rosalie and I completely forgot that he lived here too.

"ROSE!! Is Bella here yet? She's been gone forever!" He shouted as he walked into the kitchen, with nothing but a towel rapped around his waist. His chiseled abs were still a little wet from the shower, water beading on his chest. I was used to Jasper like this, we've been friends since forever. But clearly Alice wasn't.

"Hello?! Alice...we need you HERE, and not in Lalaland." I said while waving a hand in her face.

I glanced at Jasper and he didn't have a better reaction. The man was stunned. He'd stopped mid-towel drying his hair. "Rose. Is-this…who?" he mumbled.

"I'm Alice Cullen. I work with Bella. And who are you? Bella's boyfriend?" she asked stiffly.

I realized in that moment we hadn't mentioned Jasper at all to Alice. She must've thought the worst of me. Having a boyfriend, how could I talk all those things about Edward? Before I have time to explain, Jasper did.

"Dear God NO! I'm Rosalie's twin brother. Jasper." he answered, sticking out his hand. Then he realized he was shirtless. He quickly covered his chest. "Sorry. I'll go change".

Rose and I started to giggle.

"So, Alice...Are you sure you want to go to the party with us or you'd rather stay here with my brother?" Asked Rosalie with a grin. It was so obvious; there was some chemistry between them.

"No, no...If you say we're going party, then we're going party." She said firmly but I could tell by the fact that she couldn't take her eyes out of the door from where Jasper disappeared that she wasn't completely sure if she made the right choice...

**Reviews make an authors world go round! And there are TWO authors so you can just imagine... :) **


	3. Mad Meetings

**A/N: Edward's Manda here!**** Yeah, I know this chapter took forever to come out, but the beta had it for a long time. AND CindeBella is really busy at work and school, so our schedules were kind of screwed up. Oh pooh, but at least the chapter is out! Please, don't be hating on us. The time gods were against us. ****Enjoy!**

**Mad Meetings**

**BPOV**

"Alice, what are you staring at? I never realized a door was so damn interesting," Rosalie huffed. This was the door Jasper had left. He changed hastily and left claiming he had to go visit his friend Dylan, from work.

"Nothing. I'm just day dreaming, that's all," she sighed, looking back at her pizza. We had ordered in, so we could get ready for the party.

"I'm done. I'll go jump in the shower." Rose stated, not totally convinced with what Alice had said.

"Enjoy," I grinned.

While Rosalie showered, Alice drilled me about fashion. It seemed important to her, for God only knows why. Sure I liked to look nice but it wasn't my _whole_ life.

Rose stepped out of the bathroom looking drop dead gorgeous in a blood red tube top and a ultra mine jean skirt. She tied the out fit off with strappy black heels.

"You really know how to dress yourself, Rose," Alice was clearly impressed. "Now you. Bella, show me your closet." She commanded and we walked to my room.

My room was like my sanctuary. It had two huge bookshelves filled with my favorite novels. There was a big bed, opposite the door. The room was painted a baby blue, with light green curtains. My bed spread was a simple blue and green pattern. Right beside the curtain was a nice antique desk.

Alice marched straight to my closet. As soon as she opened the doors, she let out a blood curdling scream. "What the hell are THESE?" she asked, holding a pair of track pants.

"Track pants," I stated innocently.

"Yes, but they are LAST season's. Do you know what people would say if they  
saw you?" she asked horrified.

"If they are fashion nuts like you, than I can only imagine," I muttered. Rosalie snorted, quickly turning it into a cough.

"Isabella Swan march your tush into the bathroom. When you come out we are going to see if we find something in that disaster of a wardrobe." Her eyes gleamed evilly.

I was scared all through my shower. What would she do my beloved track pants? I was terrified of the thought.

"BELLA!" Alice called. I walked slowly to my room in my fleecy robe. "I think I out did myself. Your closet is seriously lacking. We're going to have to go shopping."

"Bella won't like that at all," Rosalie said, all knowing.

"Forget it! Alice what did you pick out, anyway?" I said, trying to distracting her.

"Oh! This lovely blue dress. But seeing as its kinda short, we're pairing it with blue jeans. I was thinking for shoes, we can tie it all nicely with these simple white pumps." She smiled. I was so surprised. Envisioning myself looking really pretty in that outfit was so very easy.

"Alice, its wonderful," I laughed, surprised that all my fear had gone away.

"Okay, now it's time for makeup and hair." she said.

I hated makeovers. Alice attacked me with mascara brushes and hair curlers. I shouldn't have been fooled by her small stature. She was a demon in disguise. And her choice of weapon was eyeliner and lipstick. She didn't even remember the famous lawyer from the Cullen Firm in this semi-lucid state.

"Alice I have to _see_ with these eyes," I screeched, after a particular jab with the eyeliner.

"No pain no gain," she said condescendingly.

"What the hell am I supposed to be gaining?" I muttered. Rosalie, the not-so-innocent-bystander, muffled her snort of laughter into a cough. Alice didn't miss it, becuase she glared at the both of us.

"Are you finished yet?" I asked some time later. I had gone into the habit of asking every few minutes.

"No."

"Are you done yet?"

"Not yet," Alice grated.

"Are you finished yet?" I asked innocently.

"Nope."

"Finished yet?"

"For Gods sake NOO!! Stop asking, it's so annoying!" Alice went into a cursing rampage.

"Tsk-tsk Alice. Ladies don't have potty mouths fit for sailors on them." I said condescendingly. If I had to suffer through a bloody make over, Alice's life would be made into a living hell too.

"Well I'll show you a dirty mouth." She went into another cursing storm. Rosalie, with her extensive vocabulary, didn't spew out some of this stuff.

"Did you brothers teach you that?" I asked, awestruck.

"Yup. Well, some of it. But most of it was from university. I was a partier."she went back to her mumbling state. Not a good time to ask her about her past.

"There. Finished," she said backing away and letting me look in the mirror.

She made my eyes sparkle. She had put on minimal eye shadow, but what she did put on, did wonders. The mascara made my lashes look 100 times longer...If I hadn't known better, I'd say I look almost beautiful.

"Alice, now that Rose and I are ready, I think we should get going. We can take my car." I said. My car was a beautiful INFINITI G37 COUPE that Jasper, Rose and my parents got for my last birthday. At first I'd tried to return the gift but after several threats from them I actually got used to the car. I use the term "used" loosely.

"Okay," she said.

"That makes me the designated driver. Which is fine seeing as I don't like alcohol much, and I can't drink to much or I get wasted pretty quickly." I said.

"Fine. Lets go to my apartment so I can get ready!" Alice smiled.

After half hour we made it there.

Alice's apartment was littered with fashion magazines. And a huge professional looking sewing machine.

"Why did you become a lawyer again?" I asked.

"I enjoy a good argument. But I also like making clothes in my spare time, so I figured I could become both, a lawer and a designer. Now make yourselves comfortable. I gotta get ready!" she called over her shoulder, already heading to her bathroom.

Rose and I looked at Alice's fashion magazines the whole time. Sometimes we'd laugh at some of the crazier stuff we found, or gasp at the truly beautiful.

"So, how pretty do I look?" she asked leaving her room after the shower a long session of make up.

Alice was stunning. She had on a pair of grey skinny pants, with a grey long sweater that went off at the shoulders. She had on a fire engine red belt cinching the shirt at the waist with red open toed pumps.

"Wow!" Rosalie and I screeched at the same time.

"I'm good, aren't I?" she grinned.

"Jasper likes red on a woman," Rose laughed at the way Alice looked. She looked like she had a bunch of bricks fall on her.

"Good to know," she muttered to herself.

The club we went to was amazing. The bartender was a total hottie. And he was hitting on Rosalie. But she wasn't interested. That was always a funny thing to watch, Rosalie turning a guy down. In the end, she had sore knuckles, but they weren't as sore as the guys nose. **(A/N: Use your imagination:P)**

We'd just gotten a booth, when a waitress came to take our orders.

"Hmm well I'll have a _Bloody Mary_." I said.

"A _Cosmo_." Rosalie said, already off her adreniline rush from beating the bartender.

"A rastini, please." Alice smiled.

After we got some drinks, we started gossiping about work. Alice filled me on some of the dirtier schemes Lauren and Jessica pulled to get into her brothers' pants. Some of them had us clutching our ribs laughing, while others had us gasping in shock and outrage.

"Lets dance. I don't want to talk anymore," Alice said pulling me onto the floor.

I was terrified of dancing. I just had no rythm. My parents were some what corridinated, but it skipped a gene. My mother tried putting my in ballet to help. My instructor told me that _"stampeding elephants were more graceful and poised."_ I looked like Elaine, from _Sienfeld_ when I danced. We both had no corridination. We were all jerking elbows, and thrusting thumbs. **(A/N: We have a video of Elaine dancing on the website:P)**. When I popped, locked and dropped it, I almost always did on it somebodys foot.

Alice gave me dancing lessons to _Hott in Here_ by Nelly. After serveral tries--and serious flaming blushes-- I got a semi-good booty drop. Alice was a devil with bronzer, but a God-send with dancing.

After hours of fun, we drove Alice to her apartment and made our way home, looking foward to hitting the sac.

**EPOV**

Another weekend arrived. It was good to have a break from all those different files and cases. I hoped Emmett was not late to exercise this morning, I thought while parking my car in the new fitness centre in downtown.

I got inside and found him running on a treadmill. "Didn't know you were into running, Emmett."

"Oh, I'm not, I just didn't want to start with the weights before you arrive. It seems that I'm not the late one this time...Were you with any girl?" He teased.

Why do we always have to come to this damn subject every Saturday morning?  
"You know, dear brother, I still didn't figure out why is it about my sexual life that you're so curious about."

He just rolled his eyes and ignored my question, before starting to work out.

We were silent for about a hour until I notice that something was up. "Emmett, don't you think you're taking too much shit out on this machine? It won't handle all the strength you're putting on it. What's wrong, man? Why are you so mad?"

"Well, is just that girl that I told you about, remember?"

Oh Lord, how could I not remember? He's been talking about this mysterious Anne since he first met her at the C Club. "Yeah, what about her?"

"I've been trying to call the number that she gave me, but every time I do it, an old woman answers the phone and says she doesn't know any Anne."

Can this man standing here really be related to me an any way? It doesn't require a lot of intelligence to know what she'd done. "It's pretty obvious isn't? She gave you a fake number and I really doubt that her real name is Anne. There's a lot of girls who have fun doing that. Bull if you ask me my opinion, I don't know how a girl can have fun being with a different guy every night. This is the kind of girl that would never have  
any chance with me. It's disgusting and rotten."

"Oh, come on, Bro. Any kind of girl doesn't seem to have chance with you. 'She shows to much skin, obviously a skank. She is much too uptight, doesn't know how to have fun'," he said, in a perfect imitation of me. My older brother at age twenty eight

"Well, I just didn't find anyone capable of taking my eyes and " BA!! I couldn't believe it. Emmett really broke the machine like I had predicted before.

"Oh, great! One of the employees is already coming. Let me prepare my check."

"Excuse me, sir. Could you come with me to the manager's room?" I tried my best not to don't laugh. Money wouldn't be a problem but we never stop at any fitness centre. This one for example. It was the first time we were coming here. But it's always like that, Emmett breaks something then he feels too ashamed to come back. Which is something pretty strange in itself if we were to consider the fact that Emmett rarely got ashamed of something.

We walked for less than two minutes until we reached the manager's door. The employee told us to wait and got inside before us, probably to explain what'd happened. After some time, he came and invited us in.

We were expecting some middle aged guy, but instead we found a stunning and beautiful girl. Seriously, not the type to own a fitness centre. She was a model, created to make Gods jealous. In front of her table, there was a sign that read: ROSALIE HALE.

I looked in Emmett's direction, knowing my brother as well as I did, I was pretty sure this was exactly his type of girl. But when I turned my head, I saw that he had frozen and so did Ms. Hale. Was I missing something?

Before I have time to ask, Emmett's following comment cleared everything out. "Hi Rosalie, or should I say Anne?"

"I take you the two of you already know each other." I stated.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter." Emmett shot at me, before turning to her again. "How much do I own you?"

"Well, actually you don't own me anything. I really wanted to apologize for the problem with our equipment. I assure you that I'll be in contact with the manufacturer and make a formal complaint." Rosalie Hale said in a firm tone.

"I guess that will be fine. Let's go, Edward." Then he left, just like that, not giving her the chance to say anything.

"Wow, what was that for, Emmett? I thought you wanted to meet her again. Now that you did, you just ignored her and left without a second word."

"I just decided that you were right all along. Girls like this Rosalie Hale, are the queen of sluts." Emmett had never looked so dejected before. I was worried. What kind of a girl was Rosalie Hale to hurt Emmett, the man with a tough heart?

The rest of the weekend just flew. Emmett spent the rest of the Saturday and the whole Sunday, complaining about what have happened. I tried to convince him on talking to her but it didn't work. He decided that Rosalie was a whore that he didn't want to see anytime soon, something that I truly doubted to be true.

I'd barely walked inside my office when I saw that someone was waiting for me. Alice.

"Hey. Good morning." I greeted. "How was your weekend?"

"Don't dare to act like you don't know what I'm doing here." she glared.

I didn't have to act. I really didn't know what the problem was. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your secretary Bella Swan! How could you do that to her? You stupid bubble headed boob!" she screeched when she saw me gaping. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head.

"That makes you an even bigger stupid head! The stuff you made Bella type out." She continued when I nodded. "Yeah, it was due in court _tomorrow_."

I gasped. "No, it was on the work calendar that it was tomorrow. You even emailed me-" she cut me off.

"Saying that the judge was busy today and rescheduled court for _Tuesday_. You maggot. She was here until 10:30 at night typing. I had a look at what you gave her, and how did you expect _anyone_ to understand that? All those confusing stick notes. You've really done it this time." She finished her tirade.

"What the hell am I going to do?" I asked no one and everyone in particular.

"I dunno, big brother. But it better be good enough to sweep her feet off." She said wisely.

"Any suggestions?" I said a desperate look on my face.

"Nope. As punishment, figure it out yourself. You could talk to Emmett, but what you two dorks come up with will be surprising." She smirked. She knew I was stumped and wasn't going to help me out at all.

"Bye big brother," she waved good bye.

I decided to take up her offer and talk to Emmett.

"The little devil that Alice is, won't even help she knows _exactly_ what to do, but won't say a word. How about flowers?" I said. That was the best thing I had come up with.

"Yeah, bro, I think that's a nice way to apologize. I bet Bella will love the flowers. When are you sending them?" he was impressed.

"Today. I'll have Angela call the flower shop after lunch and-"

I didn't get to finish the sentence, because the worst secretary to ever grace the office stepped inside.

**I know, I know a major cliffie. But you will some of Bella's fiery temper in the next chapter... Heheh.**

**REVIEW please :)**


	4. Wicked Truth

**A/n: Edward's Manda her to deliver the next chapter. Thanks to all the people who reviewed. All the positive feedback, is so wonderful, we really appreciate it :) I was so in love with this chapter when I wrote it. It's my favourite one so far, and it was extremely fun to write. Want to know why? Read and enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: This is our plot. The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer; we're just borrowing them to play with. We'll put them back nicely when we're finished :) **

_Playlist: the WHOLE Phobia album, from Breaking Benjamin_. Some serious awesomeness right there. Listen to it, it's really amazing :)

**Chapter 4: Wicked Truth**

**Bella's P.O.V.**

I went to the bathroom and was surprised that someone followed me there. I turned to see Lauren Mallory standing in front of me. This in itself was awkward; Lauren _never_ talked to me, unless it was to ask about the files one of the Cullen's needed.

"Hello, Lauren." I greeted politely.

"Hello." She answered not so polite. "So, Bella, I know we're not friends. In fact, we're not even close, but there's something I think you need to know...I was walking toward Emmett's room and I heard him talking to someone. At first I didn't recognize the voice but then I realized it belonged to Edward. I was going to interrupt but stopped when I noticed they were talking about you."

"What? Me?" Oh gosh, am I going to get fired? I hadn't done anything wrong; I'd only been working there for a week!

"Yes...you. It seemed that Edward was telling Emmett how he could have you in his hand by the end of the week. They were talking about sending flowers. Edward was so very different. He sounded very malicious and conniving. In all my three years working at the firm, as Edward's, secretary have I ever heard him sound so mean..."

I was shocked. How could the gentlemanly Edward be so rude and perverted? Lauren wasn't finished.

"I thought it my duty as a fellow co-worker – no fellow _woman_ – that you should be warned. Edward was always polite to his female employees, but there's something different about you. I heard it from Jessica who was their when he himself asked about your schedule-when your lunch breaks were and when you got arrived here and when you left. He also asked where you _lived_. I think it is very creepy, and an invasion of your privacy." She finished, with a smug look on her overly made up face.

I had to think this over for a minute. I mean how many stories had Alice told us about Lauren and Jessica scaring off the other employees. Lauren had never been anything less than civil-and then she just barely passed by. Jessica and I had only ever spoken to each other once; and that was in line to use the photocopier. Edward had always been so polite and nice and caring; always the perfect boss. My heart told me that there was something fishy with Lauren's words...

So who should I have believed; Lauren or my heart as Edward's defence?

As I was thinking Lauren's smug look slowly disappeared. It was replaced with a look of worry. Why would she be worried? That I would think it was all a lie? That I would take out my anger on her? I probably could have done a number on her face.

"Thank you Lauren for telling me. It was very important for you to tell me. I appreciate the honesty. Well, this is certainly something to ponder about." I said, attempting to joke.

"What are you going to do? I don't want anybody to bet in trouble," he face was different when she said that; almost as if she were lying through her teeth. Well certainly she didn't want herself to get into trouble.

I quickly left that the bathroom after that. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realized that the three siblings had made an announcement around lunch. I only found out that it was about the three of them going off to Louisiana to meet a big shot client from an e-mail they sent out. I had my lunch quickly quietly at my desk and then went for a walk.

"I found you!" I felt strong arms wrap around my waist.

"Jesus Jasper, you scared the crap out of me!" I yelped, slightly out of breath. The arms that were really there weren't the ones I necessarily wanted. "Is Rosalie here?" I asked as an afterthought.

"Nope, but you need to come with me. Rosalie has been strange all day. I know _you_ can get it out of her." He said, while looking around.

"Alice is up in her office, briefing some fresh-outta-law-school lawyers. She's busy." I noticed Jasper's face fall.

"Don't worry, she'll come out of her office one day, and I will sneakily call you!" I said, overriding his excuses. His face was priceless.

"Good to know," he muttered.

"We better hurry; I only have an hour lunch break." I said walking into his car. He drove an Audi A4 in blue.

It was a quick drive to the leisure centre. The centre was called _Hales Fitness Extraordinaire_, and was voted Number 2 fitness center in all of Seattle last year. That had really pissed them off, and I was infuriated on their behalf. But this year was different. They had redecorated the main exorcise room, and had a dozen different classes to take. Things were looking up...

"What's up Rose?" I asked. I could tell why Jasper was worried. She wasn't her normal self. She was normally so upbeat and alive at work, but not today. She looked so down and, almost like she was dead.

"Jasper. Leave. Now!" I commanded. It was time for girl talk. "Shoo!" I said, whacking him over the head when he wouldn't leave.

"I got it, I got it. I'm gone. You two have your girlie chat!" he said, walking out the door.

"So Rose, you look like hell. And I'm being polite. What happened over the weekend?" I asked once Jasper had left.

I hadn't seen much of Rosalie that passed weekend. She was at work all day long, and I was at the apartment vegging out. The only times we got together were for dinner, and even then she was pretty normal for herself. Except for last night, she was more than unusually tired and quiet.

"Nothing, I'm fine. I seriously don't know what the hell you're talking about," she said. She didn't even have the heart to make it sound serious.

"Rosalie Lillian Hale. Don't give me any sort of crap. I can see through it." I said sternly, getting annoyed.

"Fine, do you really want to know?" she asked, caving in to my will. It normally took longer, but she must have really wanted someone to know.

I nodded my head. Whatever made my best friend this pissed and sad, _had_ to be dealt with.

"Well remember when I met that really great guy at the C-Club?" I nodded, and she continued. "Well he came to the fitness centre, yesterday. And before I could introduce myself as Anne again, he came to my _office_ where he saw my _name plate_!" she wailed at the end.

"He called me the _queen_ of whores! And you know what, I am!" she cried.

"No you are not! Rosalie Hale actually wallowing in her own self pity. Never have I seen you so upset. The only time you've been this mad and depressed was when Royce King **(A/N/ Remember him?) **dumped you. And even then you threw yourself back out there. And now a total and complete stranger is all it takes to derail you?" I yelled, my pep talk slowly working.

"You're right! Who does he think he is? Calling me a whore like that. I don't need him!" she looked more like her old self, not taking bullshit from men.

"Thanks Bella, you always get me to feel better. I appreciate that. So how about we go out to dinner, the three of us? It'll be my treat." She said, trying to be persuasive.

"Okay, that'd be great!" I said, happy to see Rose happy.

"Anything new with you? We hadn't talked very much this weekend." She asked.

"Nope, not really." I'd decided my problem wasn't very important. I looked at my watch. "Damn't. I got to go, my lunch break ends in twenty minutes."

"Jasper!" I hollered towards the door, knowing he'd be trying to listen in.

"We have to go! Or I'm going to be late, and I really don't need that, in my second week at work." He nodded, understanding.

"So did you figure out what was wrong with my sister dearest?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Nope."

"Damn. I thought maybe you would, because you know, I got you here and all," he was trying to persuade me. But the stubbornness in me wasn't giving in.

"Nope, you could have asked, and she probably would relent...in a hundred years." Rosalie and I could always talk. And Jasper knew that, but he was still nosy and wanted to know about the conversations he wasn't allowed to listen to.

We stopped by my building.

"Thanks for the ride Jasper; you got me here in record time!" I laughed. He and his sister liked to drive fast. We'd made it here in ten minutes.

"Thanks, for helping Rose!" he smiled.

"Oh yeah, Rose is taking us out to dinner. So be ready!" I yelled, while getting out of the passenger side.

He laughed.

The rest of the work day had passed by in a blur. I had decided to wait it out with the flowers and Edward. I wasn't going to say anything, unless I really did receive flowers. And if I did, I would politely tell him that I couldn't date him, because he was my boss. Even though he was smart, charming, a perfect gentleman, handsome, strong and sexy...No Bella. Bad thoughts. _Bad thoughts!_

When I got home, there were no flowers. _Good_, I thought. Lauren was full of herself and scaring off the other secretaries. I decided to go take a bath.

I filled up the bathtub with hot water; the washroom soon became filled with steam. I added some freesia and strawberry bubble bath-it matched my shampoo and body wash. There was a knock at the door. _Probably Rosalie, forgetting her keys inside_, I thought.

Thankfully I was still changed because it most certainly wasn't Rose.

"Hello?" I said in more of a question, than a statement.

"_Natalie's Flowers, delivering something special._ I have a delivery for Isabella Swan." he stated.

Now, here I could have said, 'nope, no Isabella Swan here'. Or 'go away!' But I took the clipboard he handed me in a daze, and signed my name.

"Thank you! Next time you want-"I closed the door in his face, while he was advertising his company.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I muttered to the door.

I looked at the tag. It said only two words: _Love, Edward_.

Love Edward!? _LOVE_ Edward?! Who did he think he was? _Okay Bella._ I reasoned with myself. There has to b a simple and logical reason for all of this.

Lauren's words haunted me: _He asked where you_ lived_._ Why did he care about where I lived? I was nothing special, and there were much prettier ladies out in the world. The phone rang. _Hopefully Rosalie, she could help me out of this __**gigantic**__ pickle, _I thought.

"Hello? Bella Swan speaking." I said.

"Hello Bella," said a velvety smooth voice. _Holy Shit! Was his voice always so sexy_? I thought.

"Ho-how are you?" I stuttered. How could his _voice_-only his voice­- make me mumble like an idiot?

"I'm fine. What did you think of the flowers? I hope they weren't too much. I really thought they would portray my feelings-"

"Yeah, they were nice." I said cutting him off. I was getting angrier. Yeah they portrayed his feelings; of getting in my _pants_. Love Edward. Please!

"So Bella, would you like to-"

"To what Edward? I'm on to your tricks. Lauren told me all about your stupid schemes. You thought I was so easy you could have me in the palm, by the end of the week? That's disgusting! Who do you think I am some street corner hooker? I'm not bought. I deserve to be treated with respect, and dignity. Forget the fact that you are my _boss_ and I'm your secretary- so very cliché- but I am also a human being, one that demands to be treated as an equal. So you know what, Edward you can leave me all the f-"I heard the dial tone. That S.O.B. had hung up on me.

"Bella I hope you aren't talking to a telemarketer like that. You could be arrested for verbal abuse!" Rosalie laughed.

"No it was Edward!"That stopped her cold.

"Tell me why in God's name you would shout at him like that?" she asked with an incredulous stare.

So I explained it all to her. Her perfectly arched eyebrows rose higher and higher on her forehead. By the end she was as mad as me.

"The bastard!" she cried.

"I hope you don't mean me," Jasper said, strolling in on the conversation.

"Nope. Edward. My asshole boss!" I grated.

"Oh. You mean Alice's brother." He said, indifferent.

"Bella...Why didn't you freaking tell me today?! We could have told that S.O.B to go to hell, with me there to drive the point home. With my fist!" Rose cried, turning on me; the traitor.

"It's nothing. He'll be too busy planning for his mega important business trip, to really notice me. I'll be fine. I'm a big girl now, so I can take care of myself." I said, trying to dissuade them both; Jasper looked as if he could kill.

The twins were only a couple of months older than me, but they were so much more protective. If I had any problems with the opposite sex, Jasper would have taken them out, if Rosalie hadn't gotten a chance too.

"So, you still want to go out for dinner?" Rosalie asked.

"You know what? Yes, yes I do. I don't want him to be a stopper in my good evening. I have a bath going, so wait up for me." I said, walking to my bathroom.

I had a nice relaxing bath to help me think. I already started to feel embarrassed for my emotional outburst. How the heck did I know what Edward wanted me to do? I had just assumed the worst, and had anger fuel me to tear a mighty strip off of him. My final remaining hope was that I was too caught up in the moment to really notice that Edward had hung up long ago. Would my job be jeopardized?

_Damn me!_ I thought, while getting out of the tub. I was so stupid to just cut him off like that. The Cullen siblings seemed to have a very good bond, so both Alice and Emmett would know if Edward chose to embarrass me like that. _But would he?_ I asked myself, he sent me flowers, and put 'love Edward' on it...But that could mean as friends right? _Curse me to the pits of Hades!_ I thought. I was second guessing myself. This always happened, when I got worked up like that. Normally, I could make a decision and live with it. The hardest part for making a choice was deciding on what to do; but after that, I was okay with it.

I walked deep in thought to my room, in nothing but my terrycloth robe. In my room, I opened some random drawers. I picked out a forest green tank top and sweater combo, with a dark blue pair of jeans. I accessorized with whites and silvers. I tied the whole thing together with green and white flats.

"Wow, Bella you look hot." Rosalie grinned.

"Hmm...whaddyou say?" I said, being brought out of my reverie.

"Bella, I guess you dress yourself best when your deep in thought...and not thinking about clothes at all!" she chuckled. So did I.

We went to this great little Greek place. I had souvlaki and tzaziki sauce. Rosalie had a huge plat of Greek salad and chicken. Jasper had lots of pita and pork. We had one of the best meals in a long while. We started to quote the movie _My Big Fat Greek Wedding_.

"Greeks only have two volumes; loud and louder!" Rosalie laughed.

"What do you mean he no eat meat? That's okay, I make him lamb!" Jasper said, in a perfect Greek accent.

"He may be the head of the family, but I am the neck. And the neck turns the head whatever way it wants!" I giggled.

We laughed while we had dessert and coffee-the dessert was this honey and nut pastry. The trip was amazing. It was exactly what I needed, and Rose needed it too. We were so happy, that when we got home we plopped in front of the T.V. and watched some old Doris Day movies on TV. My favourite one was _Send Me No Flowers_. It was hilarious. We had popcorn fights; the loser -Jasper- had to clean it up. We started whipping pillows at him while he was vacuuming the mess. Once he was finished he picked me up and threw me on my bed. Rosalie was next.

But once I was alone, all my mistakes -were they? - came rushing back and haunting me. I pictured Edward's beautiful face as he heard all the things I said to him. I saw his downcast eyes, and the disappointment in his frown, and how he'd probably run his fingers through his hair, frustrated and angry with me.

But the person I was most pissed off at was me. I _wanted_ him to ask me out. I wanted to go on a date with him, to feel his warm lips on mine, after our first date. I wanted to be with him; but what got in the way? My pride and what everyone at the firm would think of me, _if _I started to date him. I was so frustrated with myself. I had made a total ass of myself in front of him. Would he ever forgive me? I asked that over and over, all through the night.

That night, I tossed and turned, worrying about the day ahead, and frustrated green eyes, looking at me with contempt.

**E.P.O.V.**

I was so nervous. Were flowers the right thing to send her? Did she think there was a double meaning to sending flowers? Oh dear god, why couldn't I have just gone up to her and said "I'm sorry". It would have so much easier, and I wouldn't have been so stressed out at the moment.

I decided to call her. What was the harm in that? I was about to find out.

"Hello, Bella Swan speaking" I heard her voice say. It was like music to my ears.

"Hello Bella," I answered.

"Ho-how are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. What did you think of the flowers? I hope they weren't too much. I really thought they would portray my feelings-"she cut me off.

"Yeah, they were nice." There was an edge to her voice.

"So Bella, would you like to-"I was cut off once again.

"To what Edward? I'm on to your tricks. Lauren told me all about your stupid schemes. You thought I was so easy you could have me in the palm, by the end of the week? That's disgusting! Who do you think I am some street corner hooker? I'm not bought. I deserve to be treated with respect, and dignity. Forget the fact that you are my _boss_ and I'm your secretary- so very cliché-"once I heard the word cliché I had to hang up.

What the hell was so cliché about sending flowers as an 'I'm sorry'? In the movie '_Princess Diaries_' Mia sent a pizza with the words _Sorry_ on them. Is that what she wanted?

I hadn't seen much of her that day, because I was planning for the Louisiana business trip. I was so excited for it, that even Bella couldn't take up all of my thoughts. Bella looked as if she was somewhere else, whenever I snuck a glance at her.

I was suddenly angry. Why the hell did Bella bite my head off? I would talk to Emmett. He had a lot of experience with women; maybe some of his vast knowledge would help in out of this sticky situation.

"Emmett, sending the flowers idea sucked!" I said once he picked up.

"I'm fine Edward, thank you oh so much for asking." He said, sarcasm dripping off of each word.

"Bella hates me; she thought I was some sort of pig, trying to get into her pants! Emmett how could you do this to me? Your stupid idea got me in a shit load of trouble. You are an idiot," I finished my tirade. Deep down inside I knew that the blame was mine.

"Me?! What the hell, you were the one that thought of it. I merely agreed. So don't dump your mistakes-and this one is a doozy of them-on me!" he yelled.

We both took a few calming breaths, to ease out our temper.

"Well, I understand your problems brother-even if they haven't happened to me. So what did she say?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

I repeated all she said "...and she said it was cliché. What in the heavens is so cliché?"

"Beats me. Women are a strange creature. We can't live with them, and we can't live without them," he said wisely.

Emmett didn't know how much he was right.

We talked fro a few more minutes, about the business trip. He was as excited as I was. Though having an oil refinery as a client was risky, we were going to take it.

I asked Emmett not to tell Alice. I didn't need her to rub it in my face. He of course said yes, but I was going to have to keep an eye on him. Emmett was known to have a big mouth, and was unafraid to say what was on his mind.

I spent the night alone. I tried getting some work done, but my thoughts were intruded by a pair of big brown eyes.

At night -while I tried to sleep-, I was worried about Bella still being mad at me; I thought she would want to quit her job.

That was one of the most stress-filled nights I'd had in all my years of existence.

**What did you think? I give you full permission to be royally pissed off at Bella. In this story she has backbone, and we just witnessed her using it. However, don't get ticked off at me, because I just let it all flow. Remember, Bella had Lauren's words stuck in her head, and that is a problem. They will figure it out in the next chapter. Boy-oh am I excited for the next chapter... no spoilers so just wait and see. Heheh.**

**You might have to wait and see for a while, I (Edward's Manda) am going on a four week vacation with my family, and I will not have internet connections to post chapters, or read/look through what CindeBella gives me. So we might have to wait for it... But it will be worth the wait. Trust me. **

**So review please :) Constructive criticism is highly accepted, but flames are not. Just so you know...**


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